Polina's expereince in Ventspils, Latvia
September 8, 2025 at 12:32 pm,
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Meet Polina, a volunteer from Ukraine, who did meaningful impact working with youth in Ventspils, Latvia. Here’s what Polina has to say about her experience:
1. What motivated you to become a volunteer, and why did you choose our organization?Changes… I really needed to change something (quit uni and could find a job), so I started to look for some projects abroad and I found out about ESC. I chose specifically Ventspils because of the sea (it always was my dream to live near sea) and Attistibas Fabrika because youth work was interesting for me
2. How has volunteering changed your perspective on the world or yourself?
Big part of volunteering is meeting new people that will become your friends and eventually you both will leave a country and maybe will never see each other again. One volunteer said to me that it’s more important not to miss people but appreciate the experience they gave you. The moments you have today you won’t have tomorrow.
3. Can you share activities you’ve organized or participated in? Please highlight a memorable moment from an activity or event you’ve led and explain why it was so meaningful to you.
The most memorable moments for me were cooking lessons, because it was quite a challenge for me to make sure I am able to cook good and show other how do it (first event ended up with a small fire). Also it inspired Sindia (our local youngster and my first Latvian friend) to write her own project about cooking as well.
4. What skills or values have you gained through your volunteering?
I did added a lot of skills to my CV after the volunteering, but what I really want to mention is ability to work with kids. I didn’t gain this skill while I was studying to became a teacher in uni but during volunteering
5. What advice or tips would you give to future volunteers coming to Ventspils?
1. Don’t have expectations, enjoy the adventure
2. Make friends
3. Travel
4. Make sure to bring warm clothes for winter